A Shift in Dimension
Chapter 2: The Rainbow Before The Storm
A few weeks before the scheduled meeting…
An endless void appeared out of thin air, slowly expanding and oozing a very powerful aura.
A white-shoe stepped out from the pool of black, followed by another, until a person completely emerged from the portal, carrying a small knapsack on his back. Yusuke Urameshi arrived in Tourin, the domain that he inherited from his ancestral father.
Hokushin, accompanied by Touou and Seitei, greeted him as he emerged from the portal.
"Lord Yusuke." They bowed. Yusuke nodded to them as he surveyed the vast land from his vantage point.
"Any changes?" he asked the monks as they started walking towards the palace.
"No, my lord. The situation is still getting worse," Hokushin informed him solemnly. Yusuke frowned.
"You increased patrols already, right?" he inquired as he stared at his right-hand man.
"Yes, Lord Yusuke; however, five of the assigned patrols were reported missing as well." The Demon Lord stopped abruptly at that.
"What!" he exclaimed, mind racing wildly.
"We are sorry for our incompetence, but the number of missing demons are increasing day by day. The only clue they are leaving behind is their subtle scent which can only be found in a single place. There is no means to track them." The former spirit detective gritted his teeth in annoyance as he mulled over the next course of action.
"Change of plan: don't scatter the patrols, make them work in groups. Three or more, ya got it? And order the citizens of Tourin to stay in crowded places as much as they can. If they go out, same thing: three or more." he finished his orders and the three monks bowed in acknowledgment.
"As you wish, my lord."
"... And Hokushin, before I go, give me the list of the missing demons," he said as they finally arrived inside the palace.
"Yes, Lord Yusuke." Hokushin left to retrieve the relevant papers as the man sat on his father's old throne.
"The situation is getting worse. Who could possibly be behind these disappearances?" Seitei wondered out loud as he stared at Touou. The latter shook his head with a frown.
"I heard that the disappearances are happening all around the Makai, not just in our territory," Touou grumbled, his baritone voice resonating through the throne room.
"The last time I talked with Kurama and Hiei, they had the same problems in Gandara and Alaric–same conclusion too. Damn, even Enma is having a headache over this," he huffed in annoyance and crossed his arms, "Tch, asking me to solve this! What do they take me for? A miracle worker?" Yusuke complained out loud, scowling as he remembered his last conversation with King Enma.
"Well, we can't really blame their high opinion of you, Lord Yusuke. In all honesty, you really appear to be a miracle worker. After all, you changed the whole demon world after only four years of staying here. Not even King Raizen managed such a feat." With such praises coming from Seitei and an affirmative nod from Touou, Yusuke's head swelled with pride.
"Well, I'm that awesome!" he proudly proclaimed as he laughed out loud. The two monks smiled as they nodded to themselves, happy that they had managed to turn their Lord's mood around. Unfortunately, that was when Hokushin arrived with the requested documents in hand.
"Here is the list, Lord Yusuke," Hokushin said as he handed over the papers. Yusuke scanned the names and flipped through the pages to see the total number of missing people.
"Two hundred fifty? Damn it! That's too many; the numbers are going up every day! Where the heck are these guys disappearing to? " he said, frustrated, slapping a hand on his knee before he sank onto his father's throne, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"The demons that disappeared did so close to Gandara and Alaric, Lord Yusuke," Hokushin added, and the addressed man cursed. His eyes scanning the names of the missing demons and unconsciously clenching the papers in his hand.
"I'll talk to Kurama and Hiei again," Yusuke gritted out angrily as he stood up and made his way out of the castle.
A single purple eye scanned the lands of Alaric as the two main eyes were shut tight in concentration. Hiei grunted in annoyance as he blinked his ruby eyes open.
'Still no sign,' he thought, irritated with the lack of progress from their investigation. He had been using his Jagan eye for three weeks straight now, but there was still no sign of the enemy's appearance, and the only evidence left behind was the subtle scent in the air. It wasn't really a lot to go on.
"Tch. I really need to meet with the fox and the detective now," he grumbled as he commanded his men to return to the palace. Another pointless patrol that revealed absolutely nothing new. Hiei was getting tired of this, and his patience was on thin ice as the enemy continued to evade them.
'How clever,' he thought. It really was a great feat for the culprit to evade the power of the Jagan eye. The fire demon had formerly believed that nothing could escape his all-seeing eye, but the evidence to the contrary was mocking him in his face.
Hiei hated being bested, and he wouldn't back down without a fight. He scowled as he shoved his hands in his pants pocket and made his way towards the portal made especially for him. Perks of being one of the former members of the Reikai Tantei.
"Five psychics have been reported missing," Genkai rasped as she pushed a single paper towards the redheaded male, Kurama.
"So they have arrived in Ningenkai now," the fox in his human form concluded solemnly. "The number of missing demons in Gandara is also increasing daily, and just reached three hundred and ten yesterday."
"I assume that the number of missing humans will increase too. That's twelve human psychics as of now," the old woman stated and sipped on her tea.
"Similar reports have come from Tourin and Alaric, so I'm not going to be surprised," the redhead replied, and Genkai hummed in agreement.
"We still don't know who's the enemy or what they're aiming for," the woman said as she put down the empty cup of tea. The threat that was looming over their head was getting more dangerous with each passing day. Despite the longevity of the crimes, no new clues were showing up to enlighten them.
The balance of the three worlds was threatening to collapse. The time for the former Reikai Tantei to reunite had finally come.
'Who was really behind these mysterious disappearances?' – was the big question running through their minds as the two of them stared at the increasingly numerous names of the disappeared.
The day of the scheduled meeting…
The next morning came too quickly, its artistic golden sun getting up like a baby and painting the dark sky a bright blue. Twilight melted into a majestic sunrise; a red-orange glow seeped over the horizon as if the light itself was being poured from a molten sun. Colors spread across the clouds as if spilled by a celestial hand, announcing the new day.
Keiko was feeling refreshed after waking from a much-needed sleep, especially with the smell of a delicious aroma wafting in from the kitchen. She didn't head to the kitchen, though; she walked towards the small balcony in their room and gazed upon the newly awakened sky.
She inhaled the fresh air as she perched on the balcony, stretching her arms upwards and sighing when she heard a few pops from her stretching muscles. She glanced at the bright sun before heading towards the kitchen where her fiancé was cooking their breakfast.
"'Bout time you woke up," her fiancé greeted her with a raised brow, putting a plate of bacon and eggs on the table as he stared at her expectantly. She rolled her eyes at him.
"My apologies, Mr. Morning Pants," Keiko replied sarcastically as she sat in one of the chairs at the table. It wasn't like he always awakened first. If it had been her– which was about half the time – then she would have made breakfast. It was just a matter of who woke up first.
Yusuke removed the apron he was wearing and sat opposite her, digging through his food with gusto. She chuckled as she sipped the coffee that he had prepared for her.
She sighed. "You've really gotten good at making my coffee. Maybe you should try opening a coffee shop next time," she teased as she propped an elbow on the table, resting her chin on her palm.
Yusuke grinned at her with bacon stuck in his teeth. She grimaced at his lack of table manners but he brushed it off.
"Maybe I'll try that, but I'm not sure it'll last. Knowing you, you'd just snatch all the damn sweets you see and drink free coffee every morning," he teased back, which got him a light kick to the leg.
"Ouch! Really, Keiko?" Yusuke reacted dramatically, rubbing his leg.
"You dork! That wasn't painful at all," she retorted as she rolled her eyes, eating a spoonful of rice and bacon. This was a normal routine to them, small banters here and there that they grew up with. Sometimes, Keiko felt like they were still children. Children playing house. She giggled at that thought.
"Hey umm, Keiko?" She lifted her eyes to stare at her fiancé, who was looking nervous all of a sudden. He avoided eye contact and started scratching his cheek.
"What is it, Yusuke? Is there a problem?" she asked, forehead creasing with worry. Yusuke rubbed the back of his neck. Red started to tinge his cheeks as he averted his eyes from her searching gaze.
"We've been living together for four years now and... " he paused and glanced at her as she stayed quiet, waiting patiently for what he wanted to say.
"I'm just wondering… " he paused again, avoiding eye contact. This irritated Keiko a bit.
"Just spit it out, Yusuke. Are you breaking up with me?" She asked with a glare, startling the poor half-demon. He balked, eyes becoming wide as saucers, looking as if Keiko just said that she had switched jobs and became a Judo teacher.
"What! No! That's not what I'm trying to say!" he denied as he stood up with such force that his chair dropped to the floor with a bang, hands braced on the table in front of him. She stared at him bemusedly.
"Then what is it?" she asked, irritated as she stood as well, crossing her arms in front of her chest. His glare vanished and he faltered a bit. That was when Keiko got worried. She walked around the table and wrapped her arms around her nervous looking fiancé. He reflexively put an arm around her in response.
"What is it, Yusuke? You know you can talk to me," she said softly, and his eyes finally stared into hers.
"I want us to marry already." Keiko stared at him in shock. Did she hear him correctly? She was flabbergasted, Yusuke having dropped a bomb on her just like that. Then he was speaking again, speaking rapidly as his eyes shifted from her, to the ceiling, and to the side.
'What in the world has gotten into my romantically-challenged fiancé?' She thought as she stared at him with her eyes wide open.
"I-I don't want a huge celebration, you know. We can do it, just you and me and a few witnesses. Then, later on, maybe we can have a huge celebration, but for now, I just want you to be officially mine, a-and if you want us to eat at an expensive restaurant to celebrate, we can." She put a finger on his mouth to silence his nervous blubbering as she stared at him fondly.
"I don't mind if we marry soon, but where is this coming from?" She couldn't help but worry. She knew that he was on edge lately, and she could see now that this was affecting him more than he wanted to admit.
"It's just… later, you'll know. Just... Keiko, I just want you to be officially mine," he murmured as he tightly wrapped both of his arms around her. Burying his face in the crook of her neck as he inhaled her scent.
"O… okay. Do you want us to marry after this urgent meeting or before?" Keiko asked. She felt like she was going to pass out. It was all just happening so fast. What was even happening? She couldn't comprehend how it had turned into this. Regardless, her heart was beating erratically inside her ribcage, feeling like it would explode with happiness.
"I want us to marry as soon as possible," he replied seriously, looking straight into her eyes. Different emotions were swimming in his brown eyes.
"O-okay… I'll call Mom and Dad," Keiko said. She felt like her mouth was speaking underwater, her feet floating in the air, body as light as a feather. It all felt so surreal.
"I'll call Mom and Kuwabara, and umm... the old hag and Kurama," he murmured as if dazed and she nodded unconsciously.
"You tell Botan, too," Keiko reminded him as an afterthought. Botan was her best friend, after all.
"Right. I'll go make a phone call," Yusuke said, staring at her as she stared back. They both smiled. They embraced each other as he murmured the three precious words that came out of his mouth. She knew how much Yusuke loved her—with or without the words—but the rare times he said it never failed to make her heartbeat thump quicker than its normal pace. She unconsciously tightened her hold around him.
"I love you, too."
Yusuke thumped his feet anxiously as the phone on the other line rang a couple of times before it was answered, "What is it, dimwit? You'll be here in just a few hours! So why-"
"Hey, Grandma, I'm gonna get married," he said, cutting off the scolding. The other line stayed silent and he scratched his cheek as he shifted nervously.
"It just happened, so we're heading to the municipal office at ten am sharp. I want you to be there as a witness," he explained. "Will you come?" He leaned on the windowpane and looked out the window. The old woman on the other line sighed.
"You're reckless as always, even with your decisions in life. Truly a dimwit," Genkai grumbled exasperatedly yet with a touch of fondness in her voice.
"You know me, Grandma. It's all instinct and impulse. But..." He grinned. "It's hard to go wrong when I've got your old bones to slap a wake-up call into my skull." There was a chuckle on the other end of the line.
"Alright. I'll be there," Genkai assured him, and the soon-to-be groom sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Grandma. This means a lot to me," Yusuke said fondly, his voice laced with rare emotion.
"Yes, yes… Don't get all mushy on me; I can still slap you upside the head." He let out a bark of laughter at his old mentor's comment.
"You can try, old hag. See you later." He bid her farewell. The other line grunted in reply and ended the phone call. Yusuke smiled to himself as he glanced at the kitchen's entrance where his soon-to-be wife walked out on the phone.
"Wife... " he murmured and, somehow, he felt giddy yet nervous. He never once doubted that he would one day marry her, but knowing that it would finally happen only a few hours from now was a bit surreal for him.
While he had dedicated half of his younger years fighting for the sake of humanity, he hadn't thought about his future. He had felt lost in his life, and the feeling of emptiness was scary. It was something that he hadn't wanted to feel again. It was a miracle for him to finally find solace in the arms of the woman who loved him unconditionally
with all his flaws and shortcomings.
He was really lucky to be loved by Keiko Yukimura, and he didn't want one more day to pass without being married to her. Especially now that another storm was brewing.
"Why the sudden decision to marry?" her mother asked. Keiko gnawed on her bottom lip.
'Why, indeed?' Even she, who was going to get married soon, didn't know what was running inside the brain of her fiancé, but she remembered the look of trepidation in Yusuke's eyes. Somehow, her tough, headstrong demon king was afraid.
'Afraid of what?' She hadn't had a clue, but if marrying her would lessen his worries, then she would do it. Marrying him wasn't exactly a hardship. Besides, this had been a long time coming.
"We just want to, Mom. We will be having a much larger celebration eventually, but we want to be officially married now. We will end up married anyway–what's the point of waiting?" She answered finally, and her mom chuckled on the other line.
"Okay then, your father and I will be there soon. I'll let you wear my old wedding dress," her mom said as she heard her father's cry of joy.
"Thank you, Mom," she said as she smiled softly. Her mom said her farewell happily before the call ended. Keiko clutched the phone to her chest as her heart warmed in gratitude for her understanding parents. 'They always wanted me to be happy,' she thought as she lifted her gaze towards her approaching fiancé. She leaned her head on his chest as his strong arms enveloped her in a warm hug.
Keiko felt light-headed. She hadn't even registered their parents' arrival. She vaguely remembered being hugged by two women and her father crying tears of joy.
She was vaguely aware that her mom helped her into a simple white dress as she combed her hair. She hadn't registered when they left the house and got into the car or when they made it to the city's municipal office where they were greeted by their friends: Botan, Kurama, Shizuru, Kuwabara, Yukina, and Genkai. But she remembered when she stood in front of the judge and gave him the documents needed for their abrupt marriage.
Her body was on autopilot as the judge spoke and soon... they were signing their marriage certificate. It happened so fast. All the events just flashed through her brain. She hadn't even realized how much her hand had shaken as she signed perhaps the most important document of her life. And just like that...they were married an hour later, with her parents, Yusuke's mom, and their friends as witnesses.
She had officially become Keiko Urameshi. In a blink of an eye, her life completely changed.
"Congratulations to both of you," Kurama said politely smiling at them as Botan squealed in the background.
"Aaahhh! Finally, I've been waiting for this forever! But remember, we'll have a much better wedding than this later on," the grim reaper said as she latched her arms around Keiko's. Keiko giggled at the energetic girl's antics.
"Of course," she replied with a laugh.
"Oh, I'm so happy for you, Keiko-san," Yukina cheered and the three girls giggled.
"You'd better make sure to keep Yusuke in check every time he does something stupid," Genkai commented amusedly. "Congratulations on taming the dimwit." That resulted in all-out laughter.
"It's about damn time, Urameshi!" Kuwabara exclaimed as he encircled an arm around his old friend's neck.
"Ouch! Watch it, Kuwabara!" The two wrestled with each other. Keiko and Yukina sighed in indignation as they watched their respective husbands fight each other.
Keiko sighed. "Like children, I say." Yukina giggled at her exasperated expression.
"So, are we going to the temple now?" Shizuru asked nonchalantly, and the two men stopped their scuffling to stare at them. Yusuke sighed as if wishing for time to stop.
"I guess we should go together, then," Kuwabara said as he straightened his wrinkled clothes. The rest nodded at the suggestion and Keiko and Yusuke turned to their parents.
"We're going to a reunion at Grandma's temple for now; you guys go on ahead," Yusuke informed them and the parents nodded.
"Okay, we were going to open up the restaurant, anyway," Mr. Yukimura stated as Atsuko went to hug her son and her daughter-in-law, followed by Keiko's mother.
"Congratulations, son. Take care of your wife." Atsuko said happily and went to kiss Keiko's cheek.
"Well then, daughter-in-law, keep my punk-of-a-son in check." The mother grinned at the bride as her son protested in the background.
"See you soon."
They bid their goodbyes and watched as their parents' car vanished into the distance.
"Well, let's just hope that Koenma and your other friends don't burst into a tantrum after they find out you got married without telling them," Shizuru stated as she blew the smoke from her cigarette.
Yusuke face-palmed and Keiko sighed. Genkai could be heard murmuring, 'Dimwit' in the background.
"W-well, the decision was abrupt and we decided to call in the nearest people as witnesses and we are still planning on another bigger celebration later on," Keiko tried to explain as she blushed in embarrassment.
"Geez, Keiko, this bastard sure is lucky to have you. If that was anyone else, he would get a slap in the face for rushing into marriage," the carrot-haired man said as he pointed his index finger repeatedly towards a not-so-amused Yusuke. The abused man, his blood boiling, exploded and slapped Kuwabara's hands away and tried to throttle him. Keiko sighed and proceeded to drag her husband by the back of his collar.
"That's enough, Yusuke! Don't make me regret marrying you an hour after wed," she grumbled, causing the belligerent man to blanch.
"Keikooo! You know I love you, right?" In a flash, he managed to break free from his wife's manhandling and put an arm around her shoulders, hugging her closer to him.
Keiko sighed and continued to ignore her idiotic husband.
"Keikooo," he whined until they made it inside the car. The newlywed got fed up with him and shut him up by shoving an apple into his mouth, earning a grumble of disappointment from the very mature man.
And so, the group headed towards their respective vehicles and drove to Genkai's temple for the meeting.
To be Continued…
A/N: I would like to thank the awesome betas who supported this story. The people who helped fix and clean up the grammar and spellings, and the wonderful suggestions that help strengthen the plot of this story, thank you all.
Lolita-chi, Sardonic Grin, Stacy Donnely, Frost Glave, Leulo, Angel-Rias, Starryshi, SakuraSyaoranLiTRC, A.B. Flarain
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